🔑 macOS SSH Key Setup (with Keychain)

When connecting to Bitbucket/GitHub/GitLab via SSH, you might see:

Permission denied (publickey).

This happens because your SSH agent has no key loaded.

1. Generate an SSH Key (if you don’t already have one)

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]" -f ~/.ssh/[email protected]

This creates:

• Private key → ~/.ssh/[email protected]
• Public key → ~/.ssh/[email protected]

2. Add Key to macOS Keychain

ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/[email protected]

Check if loaded:

ssh-add -l

3. Configure ~/.ssh/config

Edit (or create) the file:

nano ~/.ssh/config

Add:

Host bitbucket.org
    HostName bitbucket.org
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/[email protected]
    UseKeychain yes
    AddKeysToAgent yes

💡 This ensures:

• The key auto-loads into Keychain.
• Git automatically uses this key for Bitbucket.

4. Upload Public Key to Bitbucket

Copy your key:

cat ~/.ssh/[email protected]

Go to Bitbucket → Personal Settings → SSH Keys → Add Key → paste it.

5. Test Connection

ssh -T [email protected]

Expected output:

authenticated via ssh key.
You can use git to connect to Bitbucket!

6. (Optional) Linux Setup

If using Linux, add this to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/[email protected]

✅ Executive Summary

• Problem: SSH agent had no key → “Permission denied”.
• Fix: Load key with ssh-add and persist via Keychain.
• Best Practice: Use ~/.ssh/config + Keychain → no more manual ssh-add.